Fantasy Six Nations continues this week with the second round of the 2023 tournament. England face Italy, Scotland take on Wales and Ireland play France.
Defending champions France got their campaign underway last Sunday as they saw off a resurgent Italy side in Rome. All eyes continue to be on Antione Dupont, with the scrum-half also a big name in Fantasy rugby.
The game associated with the Six Nations tournament draws in thousands of fans every year to compete against their friends and colleagues to score points based on the performances of their selection of players from the Six Nations.
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England's Marcus Smith was the top performing player last year, with the Harlequins fly-half displaying his all around package of attacking skill even as England struggled their way to a fifth place finish in the championship. However, with new England head coach Steve Borthwick, will the 23-year old thrive as he did under Eddie Jones?
In sport, such questions are always prevalent and that is what makes fantasy games such as these so popular - so if you would like to get involved check out our ultimate guide here so you can have the edge over the competition.
How do I play?
You can sign up to play here, this will require an email address and password, but once you have done that then you are free to play and invite your mates to a league.
How are points scored?
Points are scored in a variety of ways, with players earning 'team points' and 'rugby player' points. The first of which is based on their influence on the match result and their team while the latter is based on their individual statistics.
Such is the range of different ways that a player can help their team in a match, you will have to keep in mind who to pick in terms of specialisms. For example, you might want a couple of forwards with a high expected turnover count but not forgetting that lineouts are also scored at a rate of seven points earned per lineout steal., so a player like England's Maro Itoje may be helpful for his influence on both areas.
In addition, as you might expect, try scoring his highly rewarded, so you may opt for a potent winger in the hope of gaining an edge. Meanwhile, players can earn 0.2 points per metre gained so the value of a strong runner is also huge.
There is a vast way of earning points and every facet of the game is considered, reflecting rugby's status as a multi-skill discipline with players who can score tries in the backs, but will never be asked to steal a lineout or win a scrum in the forwards.
Once you have picked your team, you will then be asked to assign a captain as well as a super sub from one of your three subs. The captain sees their points tally doubled while a super sub will only have their total tripled should they enter the fray as a substitute.
Who to pick?
This season's Six Nations is one of the great unknowns, with two new head coaches in charge of England and Wales while the pressure of a World Cup in the autumn could change the approaches of some or all of the teams.
As mentioned, Smith was the top scorer last year, while Dupont is the most expensive player this time around with 20 points required from your total of 245 stars to acquire the Frenchman. Meanwhile, World Player of the Year Josh van der Flier is the highest priced forward with 18 points required to acquire the Irish loose forward.
However, you may not wish to break the bank, with some bargains to be found throughout the game, so keep an eye on the team selections to spot some players who have not been picked out by the game.
